The Spectator The independent student newspaper of Valdosta State University
Written by Kimberly Cannon, Staff Writer
VSU placed 24th overall in a best value list of 2017 Top Online Colleges created by the SR Education Group on guidetoonlineschools.com.
VSU ranked 10th in online master’s degree programs and fourth in online doctoral degree programs.
VSU’s annual tuition for online doctoral degrees was most affordable among the 25 universities, costing $4,395, according to the SR Education Group’s list.
The 25 universities on the list were chosen based on low-cost programs, with the highest tuition in the list being $15,000, and a high-standard of academics, according to guidetoonlineschools.com.
The list featured annual tuition costs for each university as well as an academic strength percent based on the college’s average entrance exam scores. VSU’s academic strength was 64 percent, according to the SR Education Group’s list.
Prior to narrowing the list down to 25, 463, colleges were researched to create the 2017 top overall online colleges list, 302 colleges were researched to create the top online master’s program list and 64 colleges were researched for the top online doctoral program list, according to Taitum Ridgway, a representative of the SR Education Group.
“We [SR Education Group] analyzed accredited online schools across the nation, taking into consideration academic strength factors along with annual tuition rates in order to provide a list of colleges offering the best value to students,” Ridgway said. “Making it on this list shows high academic standards and a commitment to affordability, two key factors important to prospective students.”
SR Education Group is an education publisher established in 2004, Ridgway said.
According to sreducationgroup.org, “We [SR Education Group] feature schools with great student reviews and strong success metrics, and provide unbiased, comprehensive information.”
According to the SR Education Group’s press release, the list was created with value as the prime factor.
“A lot of education publishers release rankings of the ‘best’ colleges, but a list based solely on prestige is not always the most relevant resource for the vast majority of prospective students,” said Sung Rhee, CEO of SR Education Group, in the press release.
VSU offers 52 online program options, from bachelor’s programs, graduate programs, minor programs and certification programs, according to the VSU website. The SR Education Group’s list mentioned 48 of VSU’s online program options.
